Cuernavaca Cathedral
Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary Catedral de la Asunción de María | ||
---|---|---|
Year consecrated 16th century | | |
Location | ||
Location | Cuernavaca, Mexico | |
Geographic coordinates | 18°55′12.77″N 99°14′12.41″W / 18.9202139°N 99.2367806°W | |
Architecture | ||
Type | church | |
Style | Baroque | |
Groundbreaking | 1529 | |
Completed | 1534 | |
Specifications | ||
Length | 80 metres (260 ft) | |
Width | 40 metres (130 ft) | |
Spire(s) | 1 | |
Official name: Earliest 16th century monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl | ||
Type | Cultural | |
Criteria | ii, iv | |
Designated | 1994[2] | |
Reference no. | 702 | |
State Party | ![]() | |
Region | Latin America and the Caribbean | |
Website | ||
diocesisdecuernavaca.org.mx |
The Cuernavaca Cathedral (
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/Cuernavaca_in_1893.jpg/220px-Cuernavaca_in_1893.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3c/Postal_of_1947_of_the_Cuernavaca_Cathedral.jpg/220px-Postal_of_1947_of_the_Cuernavaca_Cathedral.jpg)
The church was part of the monastery of the
Building of the complex proper began in 1529 on land donated by Juana de Zúñiga de Cortés,
The complex, including the church, was built in stages and modified starting from the 16th century. The year of 1532 is engraved in a monogram of the
However, only the outer shell of the main church, along with the ground floor arches of the cloister remain from the earliest construction, due to subsequent remodeling projects.[6] Over its history, this complex, especially the main church, was remodeled several times because of its importance to the evangelization efforts as well as its later importance as a parish church then Cathedral. Of the fourteen early monastery complexes recognized by the World Heritage organization, this is the only one which has experience large scale changes since it was built.[4][5]
In the 17th century, modifications were made to the church, beginning with the construction of two chapels to give it the layout of a Latin cross. The choir area, side altars and other parts were probably added at this time as well.[6] In 1713, a vault similar to a cupola with a “liternilla” and a bell tower on the southeast corner were added to the structure. Unlike, previous work, which was austere, these were Baroque with the usual intricate decoration associated with it. At the foot of the tower, there is a clock. This clock was constructed by a Franciscan father for the Segovia Cathedral. In the 16th century, it was giving to Hernán Cortés by Charles V.[6]
By the middle of the 18th century, interior modifications and additions made it heavily decorated with all types of religious art, including those made of silver and other costly materials. This was also the time that the main church of the monastery began to function as the parish church for the city of Cuernavaca.[6]
The buildings and grounds of the monastery/parish remained the same until the latter 19th century, when the Reform Laws closed down and expropriated many monasteries and convents in Mexico. The La Asuncion de Maria monastery was closed and lost most of its lands and many of its buildings, leaving what remains to this day.[8] One of the buildings formerly part of the complex is now the Robert Brady Museum.[9] In 1882, an earthquake toppled the upper part of the tower. Reconstruction was ordered by Father Vicente Salinas y Riveras and supervised by José Gonzaléz Belauzaran.[6]
In 1891, Pope Leo XIII established the Diocese of Cuernavaca, to administer over the territory of Morelos, converting the Parish of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción to the Cathedral of Cuernavaca. The first bishop was Fortino Hipólito Vera. In the early 20th century, part of the complex was taken over by Carranza-allied General Pablo González Garza to use as a headquarters during the Mexican Revolution.[6]
By the middle of the 20th century, the church still had some of its former rich decor, including a gilded
The cathedral complex became part of the Monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl World Heritage Site in 1994.[8]
Description
The cathedral complex is located in the historical center of the city of Cuernavaca, but unlike other Mexican cities, this most-important church is not on the main plaza but instead just south of it on the corner of Hidalgo and Morelos Streets. The complex consists of a walled compound with the main church, the cloister and several chapels/small churches. The main church and cloister are in the northeast part of the compound, with the other churches/chapels on the sides or corners. This forms the rest of the area or atrium into the shape of an L. This overall layout is the same as it was when it was originally built, although it is somewhat smaller due to subsequent construction. The overall form of this, which used to be only the inner sanctum of the monastery and its lands, was purposefully built away from the population center to give a sense of isolation to both the monks and those visiting.[6][9] The atrium once functioned as a cemetery, but today it has trees and paths that connect the various elements.[6] Near the center of the atrium is a stone cross on a base, which was probably created before the earliest of the compounds structures. The base is a square prism measuring 1.70 by 1.70 meters. According to some scholars, this is equivalent to a “cuauhxicalli” or stone used for human sacrifice. The use of this as the base was meant to show the triumph of Christianity over native beliefs. The cross proper is made of a single piece of sandstone. The atrium also contains a monument to the memory of “certain Spaniards who were murdered.”[6]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8b/Capilla_de_Santa_Mar%C3%ADa.jpg/220px-Capilla_de_Santa_Mar%C3%ADa.jpg)
On the west side of the complex, on the south side of both the Cathedral itself and its attached cloister is the capilla abierta (open chapel). This was one of the first constructions of the Spanish built after Hernán Cortés choose Cuernavaca as a seat over his dominions. The chapel was originally bigger than what remains today. The open chapel here was used not only for Mass, but also for plays, music dance and other events designed to explain and reinforce the faith.[10] The roof of the open chapel is supported by large arches and serves as a portico to the cloister. The cloister today is used as office for the bishopric. It was restored to its former look in the 20th century, with two levels surrounding a central courtyard. The levels have corridors marked off by arches.[7] This cloister retains a number of frescos, some of which depict New Spain missionaries in the Philippines and Japan.[4]
The main church has a plain facade with the only element with ornate decoration is the bell tower with also contains a clock.
The story of the mural begins with Pope Innocence II blessing the 23 missionaries, who later arrived to Japan from the Philippines.[6][11] There scenes of the twenty three; 16 Japanese and five Spaniards performing missionary work in Kyoto. Then it shows the group in caged carts accompanied by soldiers as they are taken to Nagasaki. The 24th martyr is Phillip of Jesus, who was shipwrecked in Japan. The emperor of Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, offered to spare his life as he had not preached Christianity, but Philip refused and was crucified with the others. For this, he would be canonized as a saint. One legend says that on the day of his death, a fig tree in the family's orchards in Mexico came back to life.[11]
The complex also contains
The chapels
The most important of the other chapels in the complex is the
The next most important chapel in the complex is the Tercera Orden Chapel (Capilla de la Tercera Orden), built the northwest corner of the complex in 1722 by Enrique de Jeres, a Franciscan friar. It would later have a seminary installed in one of its annexes by the first bishop of Cuernavaca, which would become one of the most important educational institutions in the city in the 19th century.[6] This chapel was constructed in a style called popular Baroque along with Churriguersque. The facade has sculptures of angels and saints, some with indigenous headdresses. The bell tower has two levels but it is not tall. The portal on the south side is topped with a seashell formation.[8] Inside, it has a Latin cross layout with one name, divided into an upper choir, nave and apse.[6] The main altar is Baroque, profusely decorated with colorful flowers, angel and saints. This altar was constructed by indigenous craftsmen.[8]
The other two large chapels on the site are the Nuestra Señora de los Dolores Chapel and the Santa Cruz Chapel. The first is one of the oldest structures in the compound, constructed before the main church. The Santa Cruz Chapel in
Museum of Religious Art
The Museo de Arte Sacro (Museum of Religious Art), which entrance is located in the southwest corner of the church complex, was opened by Bishop Ramón Castro Castro on July 12, 2018. Built at a cost of MXN $36.3 million (U.S. $2 million), the museum houses 92 paintings, sculptures, vestments, and other pieces dating from the 16th to the 21st century.
The first room is dedicated to Catholic liturgy and includes La Diosa Tonantzin, a fertility goddess discovered beneath the main altar as well as priestly vestments and other liturgical objects and paintings. The second room is dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi including Estigmatización de San Francisco (Stigmatization of San Francisco) by Andrés de la Concha (late 16th century). The third relates to the evangelization of Mexico, with emphasis on Our Lady of Guadalupe. El Señor de Chalma con Florones (Lord of Chalma with Rosettes) and La Resurrección de Cristo (The Resurrection of Christ), attributed to José de Ibarra in the 18th century, are found here. Juan Correa is represented by El Nacimiento de la Virgen (Birth of the Virgin) and La Educación de la Virgen (Education of the Virgin). Simon Pereyns is represented by La Crucifixión (The Crucifixion). An entrance fee is charged.[13]
See also
References
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- ^ Diocese of Cuernavaca on GCatholic.org
- ^ "Unesco, Earliest 16th century monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl". Whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 2010-11-07.
- ^ "EL MISTERIO DE LAS NIÑAS SEPULTADAS EN LA CRUZ ATRIAL DE LA CATEDRAL DE CUERNAVACA". relatosehistorias.mx.
- ^ a b c "Los monasterios en las laderas del Popocatépetl" [The monasteries on the sides of Popocatepel] (in Spanish). Catholic.net Inc. 2010. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g Ma. Eugenia Monroy (April 11, 1999). "Conventos de Morelos : Los pasos de la evangelizacion" [Monasteries of Morelos: The steps of the evangelization]. Reforma (in Spanish). Mexico City. p. 4.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v María Amalia (March 12, 2007). "La catedral de Cuernavaca" [The cathedral of Cuernavaca]. El Sol de Cuernavaca (in Spanish). Cuernavaca. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Emilio Gandarilla Avilés (June 14, 2010). "La Monumental Catedral de Cuernavaca" [The monumental catedral of Cuernavaca]. La Prensa (in Spanish). Mexico City. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
- ^ ISBN 978-607-400-230-0.
- ^ ISSN 0188-5146.
- ^ Rios Szalay, Adalberto (April 21, 2002). "Ecos de Viaje/ Capillas abiertas" [Travel Echos/Open Chapels]. Reforma (in Spanish). Mexico City. p. 22.
- ^ a b c d Agnieska Dilawerska de Lagarde (January 30, 2010). "El mural de la Catedral de Cuernavaca" [The mural of the cathedral of Cuernavaca]. La Jornada de Morelos (in Spanish). Cuernavaca. Archived from the original on January 28, 2011. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
- ^ Cecile Camil de Abe (October–November 1994). "Pinacoteca de la Catedral de Cuernavaca (Morelos)" [Pinacotheca of the Cathedral of] (in Spanish). Mexico City: Mexico Desconocido magazine. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
- ^ Paredes, Susana (July 12, 2018), "Abre el Museo de Arte Sacro en la Catedral" [The Museum of Religious Art opens in the Cathedral], El Sol de Cuernavaca (in Spanish), retrieved July 10, 2019